Truss



July 22, 1930. HQMAN 1,771,256

TRUS 5 Filed Jui 10, 1928 Patented July 22, 1930 UNITED! STATES JOHN G. HUMAN, or s'rEUBENviLLE, OHIO T wss Application filed m 10, 1a2s.- Serial No. 291,574.

Thisinvention relates generally to trusses or supports for hernia or rupture. It relates particularly to a truss including means for embodying the'lever principle in order that greater pressure will be applied to the rupture than-is applied to other parts of the abdomen when the abdomen expands.

My invention is adapted to securely hold the pad whichsupports the rupture in a wide variety of'positions and to secure it in position even though the wearer assumesunusual positions of the body. r

In the drawings which disclose the present preferred embodiment of the invention- Figure 1v is a view showing the application of the truss to a single rupture;

Figure 2 shows the application of the truss to a double rupture;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the pad 0 for holdingthe rupture in place, and shows the means for regulating the pressure exerted against the rupture;

Figure 1 is a sectional view of the pad shown in Figure 3, and shows in dotted lines the position which the pad may assume in order to conform to the contour of the wearer;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the adhesive pad employed in preventing the belt from slipping; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the adjustable buckle for maintaining the truss in position.

Referring to the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the truss comprises a belt A which is of the usual construction. The belt is provided at its ends, as shown in Figure 6, with a buckle having fastening members 2 and 3 connected 1 to the opposite ends of the belt. The member 4 of the wearer simply by unclasping the me1nhers 2 and 3. By the provision of a buckle of this character, after the belt has been once adjusted, it is a very easy matter to clasp and unclasp the members 2 and 4 in either fastening or un'fastening the truss.

and the backing a flexible member 9 is arranged. This flexible member. may be made of steel or any other desired material and is of such rigidity that it may be bent in order to conformto the/body of the wearer. After being bentthe member should retain the position which it has assumed. In Figure 4, the position ofvthe pad is shown in dotted lines after the member 9 hasbeen bent toconform to the body of the wearer.

A lever 10 which preferably is made of a resilient material such as spring steel, is pivotally connected adjacent the upper end of the member 9 by means of a snap-fastener 11. The snap-fastener 11 comprises an outer member 12, an inner member 13, a button 14,

and a post 15 extending between the button and the upper member 12. a The lever 10 is connected to the snap-fastener 11 by providing a hole in the lever and inserting thepost 15 therein. The hole provided in the lever is made sufficiently large as to, enable the lever to move upand down the'post 15. The upper end of thelever is further provided with a slot 16 in which a screw 16 or other adjusting means is arranged so that jby turning the screw the upper end of the lever isforced either toward or away from the pad. By turning the screw the lower end of the lever may be adjusted so thatit assumes thedotted line position indicated at 17. i

The lower end of the lever 10 is provided with a belt fastener 18 which is pivotally mounted at 18 to the lever. The beltholder should not pivot too freely-on the lever and in order to prevent too free rotation the fastening means 18. is of such a construction that it requires some pressure to be exerted on the belt holder in order. to turn it. If

a desired, a lock washer may be arranged -between the lever and belt holder for this purpose.

In Figures 2 and 5, there is shown an adhesive pad 19 which is'adapted to prevent the belt A from slipping. The adhesive pad is provided with a fabric covering 20 asis the usual custom, in order to protect the adhesive until the pad is to be used. Theside-of the pad opposite the protective covering 20 is provided with a male clamping element, not shown, which is adapted to cooperate with a female fastening element, not shown, ar-

ranged on the inner surface of a pad 21 which is fastened to the belt A... 7

As shown in Figure 2, the pad 21 is adjustably connected to the belt A- by providing slits inthe pad through which the belt eX- tends. In order to prevent the belt from slipping, the protective coverings 20 are removed and the adhesivesurface applied to the body of the wearer; The fastening elements are then snapped together thereby securely'fastening the belt in the desired position;

The truss may bedis-assembled in order to clean it more easily by unsnappingthefastener l1 andunscrewingtlie screw 16. i

From the above description it willfbe apparent that if'the wearer ofthe truss assumes such a position, as in exercising, as to cause the diaphragm to'eXpand, pressure will thereby be exertedon the upper endlof the pad 5". WVith the belt fastened around the wearerls body, the pad 5 will pivot about the belt and belt fastener as a fulcrum.v Since the belt holder is arranged on the lever 10 at a-point nearer the lower end of the pad 5 than the upper end of the pad, a small amount of pressure exerted by the diaphragm on the upper end of the pad will exert a greater pressure on the lower. end of the pad. This greater pressure is appliedthroughthe enlarged portion 7 directly to the rupture in order to maintain it in place. v

Inorder to provide a. means for adjusting the pressure of the pad against the rupture withoutmaterially increasing the pressure of the truss or pad against any other portion of the body,the lever l0qis pivotally mounted on the post 15. WVith this arrangement, if the screw is turned it varies the position of thebelt-holder so that either greater or less pressureis exerted by the pad against the 1 rupture. The pressure of the pa'd 'ag ainst the rupture may therefore be; materially increased without/materially, increasing the pressure of the padon anyotlierportion of" tlie wea'rers body. v i f I It is to be understoodthat the form's oft-he invention herewithshown and described is to be -takem as as preferred: example and that theinvention: mayfibe; otherwiseembodied without: d'ep arting; frnmthe: .spiri-tiof the imvent-ion or. the-f scope of thefollo'wing -member, a waist band holdelr pivotally mounted at the lower end of said lever, and a screw adjustment at the upper end of said lever for adjusting the pressure of the pad against the rupture.

3. A truss comprising a relatively long narrow pad of soft flexible material having an inwardly projecting portion at its lower end adapted to support a rupture, a relatively long narrow backing member of material adapted to be bent to conform to the abdomen, aresilient lever detachably connected between its ends to the backing member and carryin at its lower end a pivotally mounted waist band holder, the upper end of said lever being slotted to receive an adjusting screw, and an adjusting screw extending through the slot into the backing member for adjusting the pressure of the pad against the rupture, the belt holder being below the center of the pad.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. 7

JOHN G. HOMAN'. 

